Missouri Governor Implementing Faith-Based Disaster Relief Initiative

Yesterday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on Missouri Governor Matt Blunt's proposed Faith-Based Missouri Disaster Relief Initiative. The state's Emergency Management Agency and the University of Missouri Extension Service are organizing meetings around the state to recruit churches and train religious leaders in emergency response. The goal is to create a coordinated network of fully trained churches that the state can call on to provide relief services during natural disasters. United Methodist Church disaster relief coordinator, Karen Benson, said that local faith-based groups partnering with the state have informally agreed to refrain from proselytizing while furnishing disaster relief.